Complaint volume
412 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2023 Tesla Model 3 Complaints
412 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Tesla Model 3, grouped by component category.
412 Total complaints
70 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
36 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are forward collision avoidance, steering, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 70 crash reports, 1 fire report, 36 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 39 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 14,505 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to forward collision avoidance, steering, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2023 Tesla Model 3?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2023 Tesla Model 3
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2023 Tesla Model 3 complaints?
70 Crash
1 Fire
36 Injury
1 Fatality
56 Towed
26 Medical attention
What are the most common 2023 Tesla Model 3 complaint categories?
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 76
STEERING 51
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 28
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 20
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 14
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 11
STRUCTURE 10
VISIBILITY/WIPER 9
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8
412 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | On December 24th 2023, I was reversing into a parking spot with a protruding wall that was only 4 feet high, but the Tesla Model 3 reverse camera was unable to detect the wall. From the angle of the mirrors, it was difficult for me to tell there was a protruding wall, so I was relying on the reverse camera to warn me about any obstacles. However, there was no warning sound as I backed up the car, even as it collided with the protruding wall and shattered the rear roof glass. This ended up costing me almost $700 in repairs out-of-pocket to replace the rear roof glass. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | STRUCTURE | While driving down the highway at less than 60 mph the rear drivers side window spontaneously exploded. There was no one next to me at the time. Nothing hit the window. It exploded and most of the glass blew out of the car onto the highway. I have video of the incident but can't upload that. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Ever since software release 2023.44.30, there has been a serious issue with automatic wipers and visibility during driving. It has been documented by drivers on the internet, however I simulated driving conditions in a car wash that has triggered auto wipers atleast a dozen times in the past. Today I recorded a 4 minute and 30 second video where there was zero activation of wipers at all with torrential rain simulated as well as soap fully covering the field of view. Since the auto wipers are tied to the autopilot and FSD system this could cause serious injury or death if not rectified. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | SEATS | Driver seat will adjust itself while driving down the road. While the seat is moving by itself it will also roll the da window down and no way to roll it up. While all things happening the heat will also stop working. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | STEERING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I am writing to report several safety issues that I have experienced with my Tesla Model 3. These issues pose a significant risk to my safety and the safety of other road users. I kindly request that you investigate these matters thoroughly and take appropriate action to address them. 1. Steering Wheel Failure: On three separate occasions, the steering wheel of my Tesla Model 3 suddenly stopped working. Two of these incidents occurred while driving on the highway, which made it extremely difficult for me to maintain control of the vehicle. This sudden loss of steering functionality is a serious safety concern and could potentially lead to accidents and injuries. 2. False Forward Collision Warnings: The car's forward collision warning system has been providing false warnings, which has had a negative impact on my insurance premiums. Despite the fact that my insurance company is aware of the issue and acknowledges that it is a system failure, they have been automatically increasing my insurance rates on the leased vehicle. This has resulted in a significant financial burden, with my insurance premium increasing from $120 to almost $400 per month. Furthermore, I have been informed that next month, my premium will be raised to $600. I would like to emphasize that I have a clean driving record with no previous accidents or traffic violations. 3. Slow Charging Speed: Another issue I have encountered is the extremely slow charging speed of the vehicle. Despite the fact that the Tesla Model 3 is rated at 160 kW/h, it consistently charges at a maximum rate of 50 kW/h, regardless of the charging location or time. This significantly limits the usability. Took the vehicle to the Tesla service center twice. However, they said that they have been unable to replicate the steering wheel failure which would be crazy if they could replicate it every time the car is driven. and they have dismissed the slow charging speed as a normal variation and it's not. Disregarding safety! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Car windshield cracked when the defrost run after snow fall. Car was parked in the driveway. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On Jan. 1, 2024 at around 2:19-2:20PM, the vehicle in front of me made a sudden brake causing my vehicle to trigger the Automatic Emergency Brake. My foot was on the brake pedal as well, I even floored the pedal to make my car stop right away but it continued anyway, the pedal felt so loose/soft. My car almost made a full stop but when the vehicle in front of me started moving, the car started to somehow accelerate, I was confused as to why the car was moving when my foot was firmly pushing the brake. This unexpected move caused me to rear-end the vehicle in front when they abruptly stopped for the second time. My thought is since the car in front moved, the Tesla thought the vehicle in front was no longer a threat and stopped applying the brake to make a full stop. I watched a lot of AEB videos online. 1. Automatic Emergency Brake - malfunctioned, maybe, the car log has it but I took a photo that AEB was in progress during the incident 2. My experience is similar to a car without a brake - no matter how hard I pushed the brake pedal, the car didn't stop. It's frightening because I'm out of control over the situation. 3/4. My car was already repaired but I haven't taken it to a Tesla Service Center to inspect the system - the manual brake is working though 5. There were chimes and screen notifications that an Automatic Emergency Brake was in progress. I can upload the dashcam recording if you need it. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | I was driving my daughter to school on the freeway when we heard a loud bang toward the back of the vehicle and the vehicle alarms started going off. It said the car was powering down and would not restart. The car immediately reduced speed from 65 to 35 mph and I had to maneuver across 4 lanes of rush hour traffic to safely park on the side of the freeway. Thankfully this did not cause a collision but we were lucky. Even though the car was charged at 55% within 10 minutes the car was completely dead and powered off. I was able to take a picture of some of the error messages on the screen quickly before it died. VCFRONT a191 Electrical system power reduced vehicle shutting down, VCFRONT 192 Electrical System is unable to support all features switching off features to conserve energy, BMSa 059 Vehicle May not restart, BMS a170 acceleration and top speed reduced, HVP w028 Vehicle May not restart. There was no visible damage to the outside or undercarriage of the car. At the dealership when I had the car towed there I was specifically asked if I had washed the car or gotten it wet, which I had not. It has been a week and I have not had a response from Tesla as to the cause of this terrifying event. I have only been told that it has been escalated to the “higher ups” and they are still diagnosing the problem and will not tell me what defect they have found in the car or any date as to when they might have answers. The life and safety of myself and my child were put in danger due to this total shut down of my car on the freeway. Thankfully I was able to safely navigate to the side of the freeway at reduced speed but I do not want this to happen to anyone else. I hope I can get some answers to prevent this from happening in any other 2023 Model 3 . | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | SEATS | When involved in a rear-end collision the drivers seat malfunctioned. It went into a laid down position and twisted causing a back injury. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds and making a turn, the vehicle suddenly accelerated unintendedly. Then the vehicle resumed driving normally. While her husband was driving at unknown speeds and approaching a stop, he crashed into an unknown Tesla. There were no reported injuries. A police report was not filed. There was no fire or air bag deployment. The vehicle was taken to a collision center. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, where an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,048. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | 3,048 |
| Jan 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Once the main battery dies the 12 volt dies within 15 minutes. I ran out of charge on a dark highway. Put on my flashers and within 15 minutes the 12 volt died and so did my emergency flashers. Reason being is Tesla uses the 12 volt for the main battery temperature mgmt which draws a lot of power. So in turn once your main battery dies your emergency flashers only have 10-15 minutes of use This is very dangerous especially being disabled on the side of the road | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Repeated "phantom braking". With cruise control engaged and zero traffic in front of the vehicle, false readings on the collision detection system will cause strong, sudden, and unpredictable braking. Highly unsafe particularly in conditions where there is traffic behind the vehicle. In my first 900 miles of driving the vehicle there have been 20-25 of such incidents. When triggered, breaking force is strong and deceleration is sudden. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | AIR BAGS | The Occupant Classification System (OCS) in the passenger front seat has displayed an error multiple times and airbag turns on even when a toddler sits in seat. I’ve taken it to Tesla twice going a third time this week and have owned the car for three months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | STEERING | The car lost power steering while driving | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Driving down the highway on a clear day with nothing in front of me, with adaptive cruise control turned on, the car suddenly started braking as if it was in full regen braking. I had to hit the accelerator pedal to override the braking. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | SUSPENSION,WHEELS | Car at low mileage started having suspension issues and felt out of alignment. Took car to Goodyear where they found car was out of alignment as of car was not set up correctly at factory when made. Goodyear spend a few hours fixing alignment and tire setup. Car is having issues again | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | AIR BAGS | I was rear ended and pushed into the car in front of me. My car was totaled and no airbags went off. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | ENGINE | The contact rented a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50-60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The Engine Lost Power message was displayed, instructing the contact to pull over immediately; unable to drive, exiting and re-entering the vehicle may restore operation. Following the directions, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive to the destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 39,500 |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was pulling the car in to a parking lot in a mall. I was driving very slow to bring the car to a halt. All of a sudden the car just accelerated and went and hit a pillar right in front of the parking lot. I don't know what caused the vehicle to suddenly accelerate. I am pretty sure I did not step of the gas pedal. I checked the dashcam for recordings but couldn't find any. We have experienced this sudden unintended acceleration before on the road as well. I think I must have engaged auto-pilot or auto-steer by mistake which caused this. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated after leaving the dealer for a previous issue with a locked steering wheel, the contact was driving 50 mph on an entrance ramp as he accelerated to merge onto the highway, the steering wheel seized to the right in non-autopilot mode causing the contact to crash into the guardrail on the right side. The contact injured his neck and received medical attention. The emergency respondent was not called, but the contact obtained a police report. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but remains unrepaired, and needed engineers' diagnosis and legal investigation by Tesla. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V838000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,798. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 1,798 |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Recent recall update makes auto pilot more dangerous and distracting. I am getting alerts while my hands are on the steering wheel and paying attention to the road, which then causes me to take my eyes off the road to see the alert. Which I then get kicked out of autopilot. Was using autopilot and got an alert the max speed was reduced due to road conditions and when I looked at the alert got another alert to pay attention to the road, then was immediately kicked out of autopilot. This is extremely dangerous especially if road conditions are deteriorating and to have to constantly be looking at all the new and frequent alert. The recent recall has made me constantly have to take my eyes off the road. I can even check my side view mirrors without getting a pay attention alert. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,LANE DEPARTURE | So thanks to YOUR interference my Autopilot on my Tesla is broken... You guys THINK you are making our cars safer by getting your controlling poorly educated stupid hands into Tesla systems that are DESIGNED TO BE MORE SAFE. On paper Tesla Autopilot is factually proven to be more safe than a human driver, these reports are publicly available perhaps your team was too lazy to read them. My car disengaged Autopilot randomly while driving with 2 cars behind me and freaked out and told me I was not paying enough attention to the road just because I reached to unlock my phone screen...not even pick it up off the wireless charging pad...just unlocked the screen. So thanks to YOUR agencies interference and forcing Tesla to levy this bogus "recall fix" on us I almost got rear-ended...in the car I work so hard to pay for, the car that I love because it keeps me and my family safe because guess what we are humans and not robots. Just as YOU do and everyone in your agency we ALL have to look at our phones briefly while driving because we live lives where we have to make sure those we love are ok or make sure our phone is charged for when we reach our destination. You are going to do exactly the opposite of your agencies supposed mission of keeping us safe. You will kill people with this stupid "recall". Get your crap together and tell Tesla to reverse Autopilot back to its normal safe operating parameters and STOP BANNING PEOPLE FROM AUTOPILOT otherwise there are going to be a lot more wrecks and deaths. I'm not saying you should be taking duck selfie pictures for social media with your phone while in Autopilot on a rural back road...that person deserves to be a victim of modern natural selection. But what your doing is over-controlling and you have no right to dabble in things you obviously don't understand. Your agency should be ashamed of itself, you are about as efficient as our government is at managing money...FIX IT BACK | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The most current "safety" recall software 2023.44.30 which made the autopilot more alert to the driver has made the car less safe. Before the update, autopilot would work as intended and kept the car safe in the lane. Now, even when doing everything correctly, I get nothing but alerts which takes my attention away from the road. The car was safer before the mandatory government update. Honestly not surprised that NHTSA made the car less safe. Let Tesla do what's best for their cars, they had it working great before you got involved. Thanks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Subject: Concerns Over NHTSA-Forced Changes to Tesla Model 3 Autopilot I am a Tesla Model 3 owner writing to express concerns about recent autopilot updates, seemingly implemented following NHTSA directives. These updates have significantly altered the system's operation, leading to potential safety risks. Previously, the autopilot required minimal, intuitive steering interaction. However, the new update, presumably in response to NHTSA's safety requirements, demands frequent and forceful steering inputs. This has caused abrupt and frequent accidental autopilot disengagements, a stark contrast to my earlier, safer experiences. It is extremely dangerous when it is not clear to the driver that the system has been disengaged and the nags from the system frequently cause accidental disengagements that don't always get noticed by the driver who is more focused on paying attention to the road than the screen. The heightened sensitivity of the system is not only inconvenient but hazardous. The need for constant, sometimes aggressive adjustments is distracting and can result in unpredictable vehicle behavior. Ironically, a system designed for safety is now a source of danger and stress. In heavy traffic or on highways, the risk of sudden autopilot disengagement has increased, diverting my attention from driving conditions to maintaining system engagement. This is contrary to the autopilot's intended purpose. I urge the NHTSA to reevaluate these changes. It appears the effort to enhance driver engagement has compromised the autopilot's operational safety. Modifications are essential to prevent potential accidents and ensure the system aids in driving safety, rather than detracting from it. Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | Subject: Safety Concerns Regarding Recent Model 3 Autopilot Update To Whom It May Concern at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), I am writing to urgently express my concerns about the latest software update for the Tesla Model 3’s autopilot system, which, in my view, significantly compromises safety. As a Model 3 owner, I have generally found the vehicle and its features to be reliable and safe. However, the recent update has introduced an overly stringent hands-on-wheel detection mechanism that is not only inconvenient but also potentially hazardous. The new update requires frequent and often forceful interaction with the steering wheel to assure the system of driver presence. This change is drastically different from my previous experience, where I received only one hands-on-wheel violation in two years. The current sensitivity of the system disrupts the smooth operation of the autopilot, leading to frequent and abrupt disengagements. I have found myself struggling to maintain the system’s activation, inadvertently causing the vehicle to exit autopilot mode multiple times. This issue goes beyond mere inconvenience; it actively detracts from driving safety. The need for constant and sometimes aggressive adjustments to satisfy the system’s requirements is distracting and can lead to erratic vehicle behavior. The irony is stark: a system designed to enhance driving safety and ease is now a source of potential danger and stress. The unpredictability and over-sensitivity of the updated system could lead to dangerous situations, especially on highways or in heavy traffic, where sudden disengagement of the autopilot can be particularly risky. As a driver, I now find myself more focused on keeping the autopilot engaged than on the actual driving conditions and surroundings, which is surely contrary to the feature’s intended purpose. Please fix this issue. It is bad for everyone. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |